Education
Mancala games have an effect on the education of children and adults. The Bohnenspiel was already used in adult pedagogics by game pastor Fritz Jahn in the 1910s. Recently the educational value of mancala has been extensively researched by the Dutch psychologist Alexander Johan de Voogt and the Swiss psychologist Jean Retschitzki. Many hundreds of schools in Andorra, England, France, Germany, Portugal, Spain, and the USA organize mancala projects and tournaments to teach their children mathematical skills and intercultural awareness. In Europe the largest school tournaments were in Toulouse, France (1998 - 240 participants), Andorra (2007 - 499 participants / 7 schools), and Braga, Portugal (2008 - 1,100 participants / 280 schools). Character Formation Mancala games teach patience. They offer a chance to easily see how one can improve with practice, and so helps to learn that working at something pays dividends. The games also teach to abide to rules, to play fair and to cope with defeats. Their multicultural background works against racist attitudes and teaches openmindedness. They may also increase the awareness of and respect towards the own cultural heritage among players in Africa and Asia. Cognitive Skills Mancala games improve observation skills. Players need to develop special cognitive skills to distinguish good moves from bad ones and favorable board positions from disadvantageous ones. Evaluating the Logic of Arguments Mancala games teach to think analytically, since players must learn to plan and develop strategies. To be successful one has to foresee what will happen several moves in advance. The game forces the players to anticipate their opponent's next moves. They have to put themselves in the position of someone else, otherwise they can be beaten very easily. Mathematical Insight Mancala games help with mathematical thinking as one has to keep track of the number of stones in each hole. They help with basic calculation skills, but also offer great challenges for mathematicians and computer scientists. One modern variation called Numercy was specifically designed to teach arithmetics in primary schools. Sungka and Kalah are used by schools in Chicago (Illinois, USA) to help children with dyscalculia. Art Children learn to design 3-D works of art from a 2 dimensional plan, painting skills, and color planning, when they create mancala boards. They will develop skills in papier-maché techniques and can be made aware of careers in art. External Links Lesson Plans *Make Your Mancala! - A Lesson Plan by Rachel Burgess and Sarah Gamble from the University of Maine *Paper Mache Mancala Boards (7th Grade Art) *Kalah Activity Sheet - Science and Everyday Experiences (SEE) Initiative *[[Modular arithmetic of mancala games|Modular Arithmetic] and Mancala - Math Night] *The Gabeta Board - Improvisational Drama Workshop School Projects *Mancala - Grand Island Public Schools (USA) *Awale project, Garges-lès-Gonesse (France) *Awele tournament at the elementary school of Garges-lès-Gonesse (France) *Ouri projects in Portugal *Photo of an Ouri tournament in Braga (Portugal) *Oware project of the Otto-Wels-Grundschule, Berlin-Kreuzberg (Germany) *Projekt Kalaha – Gesamtdokumentation (Rückert-Oberschule, Berlin (Germany)) References ;Anonymous.: [http://www.ahs.uwaterloo.ca/~museum/VirtualExhibits/countcap/pages/kalah.html Kalah Recognized as Valuable Educational Aid - 350 Students Participate in Tournament: Kalah Sweeps Coolidge School]. In: Melrose Free Press December 19, 1963. ; De La Cruz, R. E., Cage, C. E. & Lian, M.-G. J. : Let's Play Mancala and Sungka: Learning Math and Social Skills Through Ancient Multicultural Games. In: Teaching Exceptional Children 2000; 32 (3): 38-42. ;Gobet, F., Retschitzki, J. & Voogt, A. J. de. (Ed.): Moves in Mind: The Psychology of Board Games. Psychology Press, Hove (UK) 2004. ;Jahn, F.: Beschäftigungs- und Gesellschaftsspiele als wichtige Erziehungsmittel in Anstalten, Kolonien und Familien (Vortrag). Züllchower Anstalten, Züllchow near Stettin (Germany) 1911. ;Jahn, F.: Die Bedeutung des Spiels für unsere lieben Feldgrauen in gesunden und kranken Tagen. In: Das Rote Kreuz (Hohenlychen) 1915 (9). ;Jahn, F.: Die Pflege des Spiels in Krieg und Frieden als Aufgabe des Vaterländischen Frauen-Vereins. Sittenfeld, Berlin (Germany) 1916. ;Klobah, M.: Sowing the Seeds of Knowledge in Children's Literature: Sociocultural Values in J. O. de Graft Hanson's The Golden Oware Counters. In: Children's Literature Association Quarterly 2005; 30 (2): 152-163. ;Powell, A. B. & Temple, O. L.: Seeding Ethnomathematics with Oware: Sankofa. In: Teaching Children Mathematics 2002; 7 (6): 369-375. ;Retschitzki, J., Keller, B., & Loesch-Berger, M.-C.: L'Influence du Matériel et du Niveau des Joueurs sur la Rétention de Configurations du Jeu d'Awélé. In: Cahiers de Psychologie Cognitive 1984 (4); 4: 335-361. ;Retschitzki, J., Loesch-Berger, M.-C., Gut, U. & Brülhart, M.-L.: Les Relations entre l'Evolution Cognitive et la Force au Jeu d'Awele chez les Baoules de Côte d'Ivoire (Bulletin de Recherche No 52). Psychologisches Institut Universität Freiburg, Fribourg / Freiburg (Switzerland) April 1985. ;Retschitzki, J., N'Guessan Assandé & Loesch-Berger, M.-C.: Etude Cognitive et Génétique des Stratégies des Joueurs d’Awélé. Exposé présenté au "Eighth Biennial Meeting of ISSBD", Tours (France) July 1985. ;Retschitzki, J., N'Guessan Assandé & Loesch-Berger, M.-C.: Etude Cognitive et Génétique des Styles des Joueurs d'Awélé. In: Archives des Psychologies 1986 (211); 54: 307-340. ;Retschitzki, J.: L'Apprentisage des Stratégies dans le Jeu d’Awélé (Bulletin de Recherche No 59). Psychologisches Institut Universität Freiburg, Fribourg / Freiburg (Switzerland) June 1986. ;Retschitzki, J.: L'Apprentisage des Stratégies dans le Jeu d'Awélé. In: Bureau, N. & de Saivre, D. Apprentisage et Cultures: Les Manières d'Apprendre. Colloque de Cerisy, Cerisy (France) 1987, 188-205. ;Retschitzki, J.: Evidence of Formal Thinking in Baoule Awele Players. In: Keats, D. M., Murro, D. & Mann, L. (Ed.). Heterogenity in Cross-cultural Psychology. Swets Zeitlinger, Amsterdam (Netherlands) 1989: 234-242. ;Retschitzki, J.: Stratégies des Joueurs d'Awélé. Édition L'Harmattan, Paris (France) 1990. ;Retschitzki, J.: Strategies of Expert Awele Players. In: N. Neuwahl (Ed.). Proceedings of the International Colloquium "Board Games in Academia III". Florence (Italy) 2000, 84-94. ;Retschitzki, J. & Haddad-Zubel, R. (Ed.): Step by Step: Proceedings of the 4th Colloquium - Board Games in Academia. Academic Press Fribourg, Freiburg (Switzerland) 2002. ;Retschitzki, J., de Voogt, A. J. & Gobet, F.: '' Moves in Mind: The Psychology of Board Games''. Psychology Press Ltd, Hove (England, UK) 2004. ;Voogt, A. J. de. : Limits of the Mind: Towards a Characterisation of Bao Mastership. CNWS Publications, Leiden (Netherlands) 1995. ; Voogt, A. J. de: Indigenous Problem-solving and Western Methodology: The Case of Bao. In: IK Monitor 1996; 4 (3). ; Voogt, A. J. de.: Reproducing Board Game Positions: Western Chess and African Bao. In: Swiss Journal of Psychology 2002; 61 (4): 221-233. ;Voogt, A. J. de (Ed.): A Question of Excellence: A Century of African Masters. Africa World Press, Trenton NJ (USA) 2005. Copyright © Ralf Gering Under the CC by-sa 2.5 license.